Open charging station for electric buses

418327 Oct 2016International

Volvo Buses and ABB have inaugurated a charging station for electric buses based on the open OppCharge interface. OppCharge is designed to enable electrified buses and charging stations from different manufacturers to be used on the same device in order to promote the introduction of electric bus systems in cities across the world.

Volvo Buses inaugurated a charging station for electric buses at electric bus terminal in Arendal, Gothenburg based on the open OppCharge interface. This is ABB’s first charging station for electric buses in Sweden.

With the new charging station, Volvo aims to demonstrate that its electric buses are compatible with chargers from several different manufacturers. The buses operating on route 55 are now charged using systems delivered by both ABB and Siemens.

“It feels great to be working together with ABB inaugurating yet another charging station based on the open interface for opportunity charging, OppCharge,” says Håkan Agnevall, president, Volvo Buses. “With OppCharge the world’s cities can rest assured that electric buses and charging infrastructure from different manufacturers are compatible with one another and that there is no risk of being restricted to specific manufacturers. This creates the right preconditions for accelerated transition to electric bus systems in cities all over the world.”

Robert Larsson, division manager, ABB Discrete Automation and Motion, adds: “The simplified use of electric vehicles is a competitive solution for the future that we, together with Volvo, want to offer.”

The OppCharge stations provide 150 kW and 300 kW charge with all moving parts integrated into the charging pylon and offering a 3-6 minute charge sufficient for 30 minutes of driving. The system involves a conductive static charge via a pantograph controlled through wi-fi communication between bus and charging station.

Volvo Buses has delivered more than 2,800 electric hybrids and electric buses to 21 countries to date.